Day 2: Joseph's Story

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“Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose Mary  to public disgrace, planned to  dismiss her quietly, But….he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife.” ~Matthew 1:19, 24

“We proclaim Christ crucified, a scandal to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power and the wisdom of God.  For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.”  ~1 Corinthians 1:23-33


 

"Joseph"
by Mary Beth Mutarelli
Can you imagine the hurt and shame Joseph must have felt?
What a humiliating blow he’d apparently been dealt!
His young fiancée, Mary, had shocking news.
Surely this betrayal wasn’t something she’d choose!
Mary was expecting a baby?  And not Joseph’s own!
By Jewish law, she could be stoned.
Joseph considered carefully how he should handle,
The unpredictable  fallout from this societal scandal.
Just and kind Joseph decided on a more humane course.
He would spare Mary’s life with a quiet divorce.
 Then an angel of the Lord appeared as Joseph dreamed.
The angel explained things were not as they seemed.
“The baby, by the Holy Spirit, has been conceived”.
And as strange as that still sounds today, faithful  Joseph believed.
“Take Mary as your wife without fear.”
Joseph did, protecting her and keeping her near.
“You will call the son Jesus”, was another of the angel’s directions.
Joseph complied, with no questions.
God chose Joseph carefully for this most important task.
Joseph was a man of integrity, and did everything exactly as God asked.
He served as Jesus’ earthly father with faith and devotion.
Teaching Jewish traditions, and carpentry as a vocation.
Many times, we’ve placed Joseph’s figurine in Nativity scenes,
We’ve never really thought about  what the life of Joseph means.
Trusting and righteous, obedient and kind.
Joseph is one of the best examples of Godly character we can find...

Reflect: Shameful. Humiliating. Shocking. Societal Scandal. ....these words (from Mary Beth's poem) aren't often used to describe the manger scene, but I'm sure they were whispered behind Mary's back. Sure Joseph had Isaiah’s prophecy of the virgin birth, but the scene still looked disreputable to everyone else. ...and yet, Joseph makes Mary’s scandal his own. What wondrous love is that?
Pray:

Come, Lord Jesus! Come into our hearts and call us out of our comfort.
This Advent, kindle in us a desire to fearlessly face scandal and serve You like Joseph did (and forgive us for all the times we gossiped about others instead of standing with them). 
Amen.




Kids Corner: God asked Joseph to do something that his friends and family thought was very strange. Joseph took care of Mary even though her baby wasn't his baby.The world didn't yet know how special Jesus was going to be, so what do you think other people said about Joseph's decision? I'm sure that SOME people had negative things to say about Mary and Joseph, but did that stop Joseph from doing the right thing? No! He was brave enough to be and do as God wanted. 
Pray: Dear God, You made me and love me, so teach me to be the person YOU want me to be. Teach me to do the right thing--no matter what my friends might think. Amen.

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